South Yorkshire’s biggest half marathon is returning on Sunday 29 March. The event welcomes thousands of runners, joggers, and walkers of all ages and abilities to go on the most scenic and rewarding routes.
City of Sanctuary, a local charity thriving on making Sheffield a welcoming and supportive city to people seeking asylum and refugees have launched Live Together, Run Together to give amateur runners from Sheffield and those who experienced asylum a chance to take on the Sheffield Half Marathon as a community.
Joe Rowley, founder of Live Together, Run Together said: “We wanted to make the Sheffield Half Marathon accessible to people who were previously excluded from it because of cost.
“Most importantly we wanted to create a community of runners where locals and arrivals to our city could mix, train together, and take on the challenge of the Sheffield Half together.
“But setting up this was far more challenging than I expected and this was mainly due to realities of the asylum system itself.”
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Mahammad Almahdi, a runner participating, said: “The training process to be honest wasn’t very consistent, but we had runs every Tuesday but it was very difficult because I have my part time job.
“This charity means a lot to me, especially as a lived experience, I’ve made friends and made networks.”
Andrew Jeffery, a fellow runner, said: “I have quite a long relationship with the City of Sanctuary because I used to work for them so I know a lot about the Sanctuary and what a special place it is for so many people.
“As soon as I went through the doors you just felt welcomed and happy and met a variety of different types of people that use the service.”
Live Together, Run Together goes beyond raising funds to support people seeking asylum but also creating a space on the start line for keen runners who wouldn’t have had a chance otherwise.
Tom Martin, Director for City of Sanctuary Sheffield said: “I can’t wait to stand on the sidelines and hand out jelly babies to all these runners from all walks of life as they take on the Sheffield half.”